New library service offered

The Princeton Public Library has announced that cardholders may now download popular fiction and non-fiction books anytime of day from the new C/W MARS Digital Book Catalog.

Patrons will now have 24/7 access to popular audio books and e-books directly from their homes and offices. C/W Mars is a consortium of 150 libraries of all types in central and western Massachusetts dedicated to efficient resource sharing. Princeton has been a full circulating member for three years. Overdrive, Inc., a leading vendor of downloadable digital books for libraries, supplied the technology for the new service.

The C/W MARS downloadable e-book and audio book collection includes bestsellers and classics, fiction and non-fiction from popular authors and publishers. Patrons download free reader software and then use their C/W Mars library cards to check out and download e-books and audio books from the convenience of their home and access them on their home computers and portable devices including PDAs and portable audio players. They can even burn titles directly to CD and listen to them in their car, said Princeton Library Director Wendy Pape.

To browse downloadable digital books, visit www.digitalbooks.cwmars.org. A valid card from a participating C/W MARS library is required to check out and download audio and e-books from the Web site.